The finish line is in sight and the Premier League title is still up for grabs but one thing is certain... the championship is going to be won by one of the best two teams in Malta this season.
Hibs and Valletta, the defending champions, have been a cut above the rest and both deserve to hog the limelight on Sunday in what promises to be a nerve-jangling and pulsating title showdown.
For years, local fans have reminisced about the epic encounter between Valletta and Birkirkara on the final day of season 1997-98.
Thousands of supporters, young and old, flocked to the National Stadium that day to watch the summit meeting between these two heavyweights of Maltese football which Valletta won 2-1 to clinch the championship.
For more than a decade, the prayers of local enthusiasts for another last-day title duel went unanswered but, at long last, the championship race has gone to the wire.
The local game has been defaced by off-field bribery scandals and other controversies this season but Sunday's rousing finale, with Valletta and Hibs vying for the most coveted prize, should go some way towards enhancing the battered image of our favourite game.
Buoyed by their hard-earned title triumph last season, Valletta were everyone's favourites to repeat their feat after bringing in a host of high-profile reinforcements.
Some tipped City to walk away with the league but these forecasts turned out to be way off the mark, largely thanks to the emergence of Hibs as genuine contenders.
"Title hopefuls must raise the bar to upstage City" was the headline to my preview for the 2008-09 trek in Score, The Times pre-season football publication.
The introduction read: "Valletta's gallant performances in the Champions League qualifiers and in their BOV Super Cup success suggest that the other title hopefuls face a monumental task to wrest the Premier League crown from the Citizens' grasp."
My perception at the time was that Valletta had a distinct edge over their rivals because they had the best squad in the Premier League.
What about Hibs?
Having suffered the ignominy of playing in the Relegation Pool the previous year, I was convinced that Hibs would improve, especially after Mark Miller took charge.
I envisaged that Miller's experience and knowledge of Maltese football would stand him in good stead in the first season of his second spell with Hibs.
Although Hibs did make some interesting signings in the close season, especially those of the versatile Rumen Galabov, Christian Callejas and Edward Herrera, it was clear from the outset that their squad lacked depth compared to that of Valletta.
"Making sure that all the players in the Hibs squad show the right attitude and have the hunger to succeed is one of Miller's top priorities as lack of motivation and complacency led to their downfall last season" - I wrote in Score last summer.
This, in my eyes, represented the greatest challenge for Miller before and throughout this season and the former Malta U-21 coach has passed the test with flying colours as Hibs not only secured a top-six berth but dictated the pace for the best part of the campaign.
In the lead-up to Sunday's eagerly-awaited encounter, the on-going debate about which of the two challengers is most deserving of the title will surely gather momentum.
Top of the league for several months, Hibs are generally acknowledged as having played the more entertaining football, an assertion backed by their remarkable tally of 73 goals scored.
Up to a few weeks ago, Hibs, for whom Andrew Cohen, Terrence Scerri and Clayton Failla have been outstanding, looked a solid bet to win the league as they surged six points clear of Valletta but the latter, true to their never-say-die reputation, refused to give in.
Although Valletta have had to fight hard to stay in the title race, it speaks volumes about their resilience that they have only lost two matches this season, the last one, unexpectedly, to Marsaxlokk last weekend. They have the best defensive record in the division, only 18 conceded, but scoring-wise, they haven't been as prolific as Hibs.
It has to be said that the Citizens' task has not been helped by the long-term injuries of Cleaven Frendo, Stefan Giglio and Paulo Massaro while Sebastian Monesterolo, who rejoined the Whites in January, failed to make the expected impact.
Hibs also had their fair share of difficulties, not least the defection of Alexis Tekumu Mbongo in January as well as the lengthy absence of Malta defender Aaron Xuereb but it's just as well that their key players have stayed injury free for much of the season as otherwise, the Paolites would have struggled to last the pace, given their limited resources.
The two title contenders have had their ups and downs but they have been the most consistent.
Their mutual endeavours to claim the league crown has fanned the flames of rivalry between their fans and there have been isolated occasions when their pique degenerated into derogatory chants and skirmishes.
Supporters are the lifeblood of football and come Sunday, thousands of them are expected to make their way to Ta' Qali.
As with all finals, the match will be cagey but there is no room for violence in football. Sing, dance and support your team but keep emotions under control.
Sunday promises to be another memorable occasion in the history of Maltese football and the players and fans will play prominent roles.
As in every contest, there must be a winner and a loser but let's hope that the spirit of fair play shines through.
Premier League statistics
Birkirkara: Mifsud Triganza 8; Galea 7; Hartvig 5; Dimitrov-Mihaylov 4, Mallia 4; Bajada 3, Buhagiar 3; Tabone 2 (2 pens), Cilia 2; Fenech, Sokolov, Anastasi, Zerafa. Own goal - Caruana (vs Hibs). Red cards - Bajada (vs Marsa-xlokk); Zerafa (vs Hibs); Holland (vs Msida).
Floriana: Darmanin 7, Anonam 7; M. Briffa 2, Madzar 2; Eboh, Brincat (penalty), Doffo, Caruana, Zarb. Red cards - Bugeja (vs Ħamrun); Caruana (vs Valletta); Borg (vs Birkirkara); Doffo (vs Hibs); Eboh (vs Tarxien).
Ħamrun: Comvalius 9 (1 pen.); Spiteri 6; Cucciardi 5 (1 pen.); Micallef 3; Kokavessis 2, Levnaic 2, Sultana 2 (1 pen.); Ortega (pen), Ryan Fenech. Red cards - Spiteri (vs Floriana), Spiteri (vs Msida), Spiteri (vs Floriana); Roderick Fenech (vs Marsaxlokk, vs Msida); Bondin (vs Valletta), Bonnici (vs Tarxien).
Hibernians: Scerri 26 (3 pens); Cohen 9 (3 pens); Failla 7; Soares Borges 6; Caruana 4, Farrugia 4; Camilleri 3, Mbongo 3, Galabov 3; Callejas 2, Pulis 2; Grech, Herrera. Own goals - Micallef (vs Ħamrun); Bonnici (vs Ħamrun). Red cards - Mbongo (vs Valletta), Scerri (vs Valletta), Galabov (vs Birkirkara).
Marsaxlokk: Alcorse 16 (6 pens); Pereira 11; Licari 3 (1 pen.); Cassar 2, Said 2, Pullicino 2, Camilleri 2; Mattocks, Barbara, Sammut, Kokavessis. Own goals - Dronca, Muscat (vs Sliema); Scicluna (vs Valletta). Red cards - Camenzuli (vs Birkirkara); Said, Wellman (vs Msida).
Msida: Calcado 14 (2 pens); Aurelio 4; Da Silva 3 (1 pen); T. Farrugia 2; Magro, A. Farrugia, Camilleri. Red cards - Da Silva (vs Ħamrun); T. Farrugia (vs Marsaxlokk), Vella (vs Valletta), Calcado (vs Tarxien), K. Spiteri, Camilleri (vs Tarxien), S. Vella (vs Tarxien).
Qormi: Effiong 12; Farrugia 6 (2 pens); Chetcuti 5; Da Silva 4; Grima 2. Red cards - Chetcuti (vs Hibernians); Nwoko (vs Ħamrun), Fenech (vs Msida).
Sliema: Woods 9 (1 pen.); Muscat 5; Dronca 4 (2 pens); Bjedov 3; M. Ciantar 2, Coto 2, Bajada 2; Severino, Azzopardi, Nisevic, Briffa, Turner, Mintoff. Red cards - Bjedov (vs Ħamrun), Scerri (vs Hibs); Chetcuti (vs Birkirkara), Mintoff (vs Hibs).
Tarxien: Bueno 23 (2 pens); Rocha Dos Santos 3; Chircop 2, Vella Critien 2; Buttigieg, Tanti. Own goal - T. Farrugia (vs Msida). Red cards - Carapic, Decesare (vs Qormi), Gatt Baldacchino (vs Msida), Decesare (vs Msida).
Valletta: Priso 15 (4 pens); Falzon 8; G. Agius 7 (1 pen.); Zammit 6; Massaro 3; Frendo 2, Pace 2, Dimech 2; Bondin, Tolomeotti, Monesterolo, Grioli, Briffa. Red cards - Giglio (vs Msida); Priso (vs Qormi); Briffa (vs Hibs).
Next matches (National Stadium)
Saturday: 3 p.m. Floriana vs Marsaxlokk; 5 p.m. Birkirkara vs Sliema Wanderers.
Sunday: 5 p.m. Hibernians vs Valletta.
Friday, May 29: FA Trophy final 7.30 p.m. Valletta vs Sliema Wanderers.